TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy today named Manuel Da Silva Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Schools Development Authority. Mr. Da Silva will then be considered by the board to serve on an interim basis.

“The SDA funds and manages the construction, modernization, and renovation of school facilities all across New Jersey," said Governor Murphy. “I’m proud to support this critical work by recommending Manuel Da Silva as Acting SDA CEO, helping New Jersey students and educators benefit from world-class educational facilities."

“I am thrilled to be recommended by Governor Murphy to serve the SDA as Acting CEO,” said Manuel Da Silva. “Providing the best possible educational facilities to the students of New Jersey is a responsibility I take very seriously. I look forward to taking on this challenge and leveraging my experience in construction and organizational management to support our children.”

"I am confident Manny has the construction experience and the right temperament to guide the SDA through this period of transition,” said SDA Board Chair Rob Nixon. “Manny is well regarded by the Board and I look forward to their approval of him becoming Interim CEO."

Da Silva is a leader in the construction industry and executive with over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors. Da Silva joined the SDA in 2010 as a senior manager in the engineering section. He went on to serve as Program Director of Program Operations, with responsibility for the management of capital projects. In 2017, he was named Vice President of Construction Operations, where he's overseen all capital construction, facilities projects, and emergent projects.

Prior to public service, Da Silva was Chief Operations Officer for M. Alfieri Co., Inc., a commercial property management firm based in Edison, and was responsible for the planning, engineering, and construction for new office facilities. His responsibilities covered 2.2 million square feet of office buildings and nine multi-state land development sites. Previously, Da Silva spent over a decade working for general contracting and engineering firms in a variety of technical and leadership capacities.

Da Silva is a 1993 graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology with a Bachelor’s of Science in Civil Engineering and a Minor in Management. He obtained his Professional Engineer’s License in 1997. He is also a graduate of Oliver Street Elementary and Science Park High School in Newark.